Chris Stapleton Named Male Vocalist of the Year at 2017 CMA Awards

Chris Stapleton has been crowned Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards. He was handed the coveted award by Trisha Yearwood at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday (Nov. 8).

Although it was his second award of the night -- he also won Album of the Year for From a Room: Volume 1 -- he seemed especially humbled to win the honor, and expressed respect and admiration for the other nominees in the category.

"Eric [Church] took me out when nobody had ever heard of me," Stapleton said. "To be up here ... every one of these guys deserves this thing."

Stapleton also thanked fans, Universal Records, wife Morgane and his management. However, it wasn't all solemn: After a zealous woman in the crowd yelled out her love for him, Stapleton didn't miss a beat, responding, "I love you too, honey, thank you -- and I mean that."

Concluding his speech with "This means a lot," he then left the stage, still looking a little stunned.

From surprise appearances to surprise baby announcements, Stapleton has had one huge year ... which isn't surprising. In March, he kicked off his All-American Road Show Tour, which ran throughout Canada and the U.S., and he didn't even let a surprise hand injury stop the shows for too long. By the end of 2017, Stapleton will have released not one but two new albums, with From A Room: Volume 1 hitting shelves on May 5 and Volume 2 set to be released on Dec. 1. At the 2017 CMAs, Stapleton was up for Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year.